


The Trodden Path

by carolinecrane



Category: CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-05-07
Updated: 2012-05-07
Packaged: 2017-11-04 23:20:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,708
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/399324
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/carolinecrane/pseuds/carolinecrane
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Practical romance.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Trodden Path

Greg's waiting for him when he walks out of the locker room, and Nick can't help smiling at the picture he makes, leaning against the wall with one foot tapping against the linoleum. It's almost enough to make him want to forget his plans for the morning and go straight home. They've been living together for a month now, and the novelty of waking up next to Greg every single day still hasn't worn off. He's not sure it ever will, but he knows what he's planning for the morning is important, so he checks the urge to drag Greg home and climb into bed for the rest of the day.

"Hey. You ready to go?"

Instead of answering Greg launches himself off the wall in one graceful motion, surprising Nick the way he always does even though they've known each other for years and nothing about Greg should surprise him anymore. He's seen that grace up close and personal, after all, but it still takes his breath away just a little when he's not expecting it. 

Greg's looking at him a little funny now, though, and that doesn't surprise him at all, so he just smiles his easy smile and slides his arm around the other man's shoulders. "Come on, I'll buy you breakfast."

That's all it takes for Greg to relax and let Nick lead him out of the lab, past rows of cars to their own and he swallows another little thrill when he remembers that they drove in together. They do it more often than not now - there's no sense trying to keep their relationship quiet, after all, not when they work with a team of professional busybodies - and it seems stupid to take two cars when they start every day in the same house.

He pulls his keys out of his pocket and unlocks the truck, waiting for Greg to climb in and buckle up before he starts the engine and pulls out of the parking lot. And it's something, being able to leave work with Greg and not care who sees them. It's something he never thought he'd get used to, just like he never thought they'd have a 'usual place' for breakfast or a booth in the back where they always sit. A year ago he wouldn't have expected it to be comforting to hear Greg order the same mushroom omelet he always has, but it is all the same, and Nick's starting to think there's a lot to be said for routine.

There's a lot to be said for _their_ routine, anyway, hanging out in a quiet restaurant not far from home and talking about the cases they worked on all night. Greg doesn't get out in the field as much as he'd like to, but he's learning to be more patient about it. He doesn't take it personally anymore when Nick can't take him out on a case, and he never holds it against Nick at home. And they both know that could be a major problem for them, but they care about each other enough to make sure it's not.

So they talk about Nick's mysterious drowning which turned out to be an accident, and Greg fills him in on the DNA evidence that led Catherine and Warrick straight to their murder suspect. He listens to the latest gossip about Sara and her ongoing crush on Grissom, and when Greg's done complaining about the coffee he pays the bill and they climb back into his truck.

It's not until he passes their place and heads toward the desert that Greg realizes something's up, and he shifts in his seat to look over at Nick. "Where are we going?"

"It's a surprise," he says, just to watch Greg smile. He knows he's supposed to be the practical one, predictable and probably incapable of surprises. And maybe not that long ago it was true, but he loves knowing he's the one that put that spark of excitement in Greg's eyes, like a kid on Christmas morning, and he'll do anything just to make sure the spark never fades. 

Maybe that makes him a bad cliché, but he prefers to think of himself as a romantic. And okay, maybe he's not the most conventional romantic ever, but that just means they'll never get bored. He's pretty sure Greg doesn't mind, anyway, and when they pull up at the firing range and Greg starts to laugh Nick knows he gets it.

"Are you trying to tell me something?"

Nick grins and climbs out of the truck, pulling a bag out of the back seat and shutting the door before he answers. "You're spending more time out in the field now, and eventually you'll have to pass your range test. You ever shot one of these before?"

Greg shakes his head as Nick holds up his gun and suddenly he looks a little nervous - this is part of the job he probably hasn't thought about, but that's the whole reason they're at a shooting range first thing in the morning instead of at home in bed. It's not like they have to use their weapons very often, but he needs to know how, and Nick wants to see for himself that Greg's comfortable with a gun if he's going to keep going out in the field.

So he shows Greg how to disassemble his gun, carefully explaining how everything works before he makes Greg put it back together again. He shows Greg how to load the magazine, explaining all the things that can go wrong if he's not careful, if he doesn't clean his gun regularly or make sure it's loaded right. He doesn't talk about the other things that can go wrong, the things Greg has no control over, because so far Greg hasn't even shot it yet and he already looks a little freaked out.

Part of Nick wants to back off, to give him time to get used to the idea before they move on to actual target practice, but he's already put this off too long. Every time Greg goes out in the field he's in danger - Nick knows that all too well. He hopes Greg never has to find out first-hand what it feels like to point a gun at somebody, but he wants to know that he's prepared for anything that might happen.

And he's glad he decided to do this after their shift because the shooting range is deserted at this hour, so he doesn't have to feel self-conscious about putting his hands on Greg's hips to move him into the right position. He doesn't have to feel weird about putting his arms around Greg in front of a bunch of strangers, over Greg's hands to curl around the gun and show him how to aim. 

He holds his ground when Greg rocks back against him with the force of the first shot, arms tightening instinctively to keep Greg from losing his footing. Once Greg regains his balance Nick lets go, ducking his head to hide a smile. "How'd that feel?"

"I don't know. How's it supposed to feel?"

For a second Nick's not sure how to answer, because the truth is he doesn't really know. It's one of those things that's probably different for everyone - one of those questions people just ask and don't really expect a specific answer to. "You know…you should feel comfortable. Confident."

"I felt more comfortable when you were helping," Greg answers, glancing over his shoulder long enough to grin at Nick. 

Nick doesn't try to stop himself from smiling back, but he checks the urge to lean forward for a kiss. Instead he puts his hands on Greg's hips again, adjusting his stance just a little before he backs off. "Try one without me."

They work their way through all the magazines in Nick's bag, pausing every so often so Nick can adjust Greg's stance or his grip. He smiles to himself every time Greg leans back into him, but he doesn't let himself get distracted because this is important. He doesn't even think about stopping until Greg's holding his shoulders steady on every shot, hitting the target more often than not and hesitating less and less with each round. 

"Not bad for a first time," Nick says when the last magazine is empty. "You should keep practicing, though. We can come out again next week."

"Why all the way out here?" Greg asks. "How come we didn't just go to the police station?"

Nick glances around at the deserted range before he answers. "I figured you'd be more comfortable out here your first time. Less people. We can go to the station next time if you want."

"No, it's…I kind of like it out here," Greg says. "But don't they teach you this stuff during training?"

"Yeah, if you're going through the regular program." Nick packs up their stuff, tucking ear protection and empty magazines back into his bag before he looks up at Greg again. "But you're already out in the field, G. You never know what can happen, even on what seems like a routine case. You've gotta be prepared for anything."

He pretends not to notice the sudden comprehension in Greg's expression, but he doesn't put up an argument when Greg closes a hand around the front of his shirt and drags him forward. And he's really glad there's no one around to see this, because he's pretty sure the people that usually frequent the shooting range wouldn't appreciate it. That doesn't stop him from kissing Greg back, his free hand sliding through Greg's hair to pull him closer. 

When they finally come up for air Greg's grinning breathlessly, and Nick rolls his eyes and does his best not to smirk. "Come on, when we get home I'll show you how to clean your weapon."

"Is that all you're gonna show me?" 

And he's glad Greg's behind him, because there's no way he can hold back a smile. "Depends how you do."

"A challenge." He doesn't have to look to see Greg's smug grin, but he glances over his shoulder anyway because he still hasn't gotten enough of that smile. "I'm up for it."


End file.
